It is known to react cyanuric chloride with an alcohol or phenol in such manner than one halogen atom is replaced by an ether group.
In this connection it is important that the cyanuric chloride is reacted with the alcohol in the presence of an acid binding agent as e.g. sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, sodium bicarbonate, potassium bicarbonate, alkali phosphate, e.g. sodium phosphate, sodium hydrogen phosphate, sodium hydrogen phosphate, potassium phosphate or an organic base, e.g. collidine. The reaction can also be carried out with sodium alcoholate solution, e.g. in benzene.
In all reactions of this type attention should be paid on the one hand that the reaction does not fall into the acid range or on the other hand, that the reaction become to alkaline. In both cases hydrolysis of the cyanuric chloride is to be expected. In the strong acid range the alkoxy triazine can react to form cyanuric acid and alkali chloride. This reaction, depending on the temperature, can even go explosively.
It has been become desirable to have a process according to which substituted 2-alkoxy-4,6-dichloro-s-triazines are producible continuously in high purity.